Since the 1990s, television has gained immense popularity and has greatly impacted each individual in society. People in the house are usually tuned in to TV - teenagers as well as parents. But nowadays, children discover the world of television at a very tender age even before they start going to the school. These days, television impacts the lives of young children and it is only going to get worse with each passing year.
Children of different ages watch and understand television in different ways. Thus many parents are concerned about the amount of time their children spend watching television. While some studies show that preschoolers who watch high-quality educational television programs tend to score better on reading and math tests, but when parents give their kids too much control over what and how much they watch, television becomes a problem. Here are a few negative effects of watching television:
- Aggressive Behavior: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a very strong link between exposure to violent television programs (including cartoons) and aggressive behavior in children has been established by research. Watching violent scenes at an early stage might develop violence or aggression in children at a later stage. TV shows and advertisements typically show violence, alcohol, drug use and sex in an aspirational manner. The kids form an early impression on what they see, and these early impressions affect their grown-up behavior.
- Obesity: Sitting in front of the television leads to a decline in physical activity over a period of time. In fact, viewing television for extended hours is one of the important factors responsible for the growing trend of obesity among children.
- Affects Brain Activity: The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. But TV reduces higher brain activity, promoting activity in lower brain regions. In simple words, it makes you less intelligent and makes you behave more like an animal.
- Affects School Performance: Many advertisements and programs focus on beauty products and physical beauty, shifting kids' interest from studies. This results in poor homework completion, negative attitudes toward school, poor grades, and long-term academic failure.
- Sexual Content: Kids today are bombarded with sexual messages and images in television media. This bombardment of sexual content on TV exposes teens to half-baked knowledge about sex at an early age, which is harmful for their mental growth.
- Substance Abuse: Smoking and drinking scenes are widely depicted in television programs and commercials, without explaining the adverse consequences. This leads to a higher chance of substance abuse in adulthood.
- Short Attention Spans: Watching a lot of TV shortens your attention span. Kids who watch a lot of TV have problem paying attention to teachers because they are used to the fast-paced visual stimulation on TV. A study by researchers at the University of Washington Child Health Institute and published in the journal Pediatrics suggests that a 3-year-old who watches two hours of TV per day is 20 percent more likely to have attention problems at age 7 than a child who watches no television.
- Poor Reading Skills: TV takes away time from reading and improving reading skills and thus resulting in poor reading skills. Also, kids who watch entertainment TV are less likely to read books and other print media.
The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages TV viewing for kids under 2 and recommends no more than two hours a day for older kids. This includes television, video games, movies, and surfing the Internet.
Parents in today's society must do all they can to protect their children. Banning watching television is not a practical solution. You need to learn to co-exist with television by managing how much your kids watch, and what content they watch. To make the most of TV time, use a program guide to choose quality children's shows and watch with your children whenever possible.
